Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-26
RAILROAD RACKET,
Track Talk Picked Up From Train
Men on the End Of the Line.

Track Talk Picked Up From Tram
Men on the End Of the Line.
General Minty returned yesterday from
a ten days trip to Ogdeu. He was de-
layed three days in getting down, and so
was prevented from casting his vote ct bis
home in the city Of Ogden. He came back
all right in t~wenty-four hours, and says
the line is clear. The warm weather which
we have been experiencing here in the last
few days has been general all along the line.
The snow has settled, and at night a crust
has frozen on top OF it. The wind now ie
not able to drift it. and there is no danger
OF further hindrance to trains. except in
the event OF another heavy fall Of snow.
This is not at all likely, owing to the late
ness OF the season.
In q recent conversation with THE MINER
a prominent railroad man said that the
season just opening would witness more
railroad building in Montana than any pre-
vious one, and that Butte would be greatly
benefited by it.
The latest day set for the completion OF
the Utah & Northern broad gauge from
Pocatello to Silver Bow, by railroad men,
is the first of May. N. G. Rays party will
finish the engineering work next week.
Further inquiry confirms the statement
that the Union Pacific will build q branch
early in the spring from Anaconda to Phil
ipsburg by way of Silver Lake. The road
will be turned over to the Montana Union
to be operated.
MONTANA RAILWAYS.
In a recent edition Of the Salt Lake
Tribune the following article appeared in
reference to Montana Railway matters:
1.-THE railway situation in Montana is
becoming interesting. The pioneer line.
the Utah & Northern, promises to be soon
widened out to q broad gauge and have
it's steep grades lowered. and it's alignment
proved, so as to prevent b annoying
blockades such as have occurred
the past few weeks. Between Butte, Ana
conda and Garrison, the gauge was
widened last July, since which the
road has been operated BY a
company known as the Montana Union, in
which both the Union Pacific and Northern
Pacific are interested. Like many other
compromise schemes between competing
roads, this has already become a source OF
difference between the two companies.
While the Union Pacific, with its narrow
gauge U. & N. held full eyay between Gar
rison and Butte, including the Anaconda
branch, the Northern Pacific WIS not salts
u6u auU UUTcd NtuSu q AsOOu
to Butte. This would have brought about
cutting of rates and ultimate pooling OF
earnings, and az such a road would have
greatly depleted the treasury of the North
ern Pacific to build, it seemed a wise thing
to form a new company and operate sepa-
rately from the two great corporations.
The Northern Pacific furnished rolling
stock and a train was put or to run be-
tween Butte and Anaconda and Helena.
The trains were also operated by Northern
Pacific men for a time. The question
of responsibility in case OF acct
dents became a bone OF contention
lately. The Montana Union people wished
the Northern Pacific to shoulder that re-
sponsibility, az goods and persons were
carried in cars pulled by locomotives be.
longing to the Northern Pacific. This the
latter company refused to do, and COM
planned that the Montana Union wa being
run too much in the interest of the Union
Pacific. Agents at Deer Lodge, Anaconda
and Butte, of the Montana Union, carry
tickets for both the Union and Northern
Pacific Companies and hold to a strict peu-
trality as to preference OF routes. The
fact that the Northern Pacific is getting
away with q much larger share OF travel
from these points than when partially shut
out, prior to the organization OF the Mon
taua Union, gives the Union Pacific grounds
for displeasure at the results OF the COM
promise in forming the new company.
What will be the result of the dispute be.
tween the companies is hard to sufmise:
But the millennium has not yet come, and
until then conflicting railways are not ex-
pected to be in harmOny-not even after
having formed pools.
"a dangerous rival is making progress as
fast as it can, and in time will give Butte
and Helena added transportation facilities.
These two cities are made competing points
in Eastern and Western traffic. The pres
ent route, via Garrison, is 1O3 miles. Cross
ing the main range at Mullen Tunnel, with
heavy grades, numerous bridges and a
regi. n OF deep SHOWS. The Montana Cen
trail has a line staked out from Helena to
Wickes, thence through the range to Butte.
This route will be comparatively level, no
place being over fifty feet grade to the mile,
and will not be so long by nearly twenty
shortest being 175 feet and the longest
$3.50 feet. The company is ready to let
for these tunnels and for the
grading of the road bed, except that they
await the signing of the bill granting the
Manitoba Railway right Of way through
the Indian reservation west OF Buford. To
more fully understand the situation
the reader must know that
the Manitoba. road, with a dozen or
more lines in Dakota and Minnesota,
making st. Paul the central business point,
have their line running west out to Minot,
527 miles from st. Paul, and within q little
over 100 miles of Fort Guford or the west
ern boundary of Dakota, and at the juno
ton of the Yellowstone with the Missouri.
1t is proposed to run to Fort Benton. there
to be met by thu Montana Central, which
has the road.bed, bridges and ties all
ready for the iron from Helena to Great
Falls, 14O miles, and will soon have the
balance ready to Benton. In the mean
time the Manitoba Company is piling up
$50 miles of steel rails at Minot, and will
it laid to Benton this year, if not
through to Helena. While the Manitoba
road runs parallel with the Northern Pa
cifc, and far north of it, it passes over a
much lsveler country, opening up. a vast
agricultural region. The companies pro-
pose to be in Butte within eighteen months,
and then push on towards the coast. The
Canada Pacific is seeking to run a branch
to Fort Benton. and an Indian reservation
appears to be the chief trouble in the way